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COPA visits Ratmalana Railway Maintenance Yard

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A large area of the worksite covered with machinery and equipment that needs to be removed – Committee Members

Members of the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) undertook a field investigation visit to the Ratmalana Railway Maintenance Yard.

This observational visit was conducted on May 22, under the directives of MP Aravinda Senarath, the Chair of the Committee. Participating in this visit were the State Minister Sugath Thilakaratne and Members of Parliament Chandana Sooriyaarachchi, Oshani Umanga, Ruwanthilaka Jayakody, Thushari Jayasinghe, Attorney-at-Law, T.K. Jayasundara, Susantha Kumara Nawarathna, and (Dr.) Janaka Senarathna.

During the COPA meeting held on the 9th to discuss the Auditor General’s Report for 2023 and the current performance of the Department of Railways, it was disclosed that 63 railway engines and 40 power sets belonging to the department had been parked within the premises of the Main Mechanical Engineering Office and railway stations in Ratmalana for a period ranging from 1 to 8 years. It was also observed that the machinery and workshops of the Department of Railways were underutilized. In light of these findings, Members of Parliament undertook this observational visit to further investigate the matter.

During the visit, Mr. Nishantha Perera, Chief Mechanical Engineer at the Ratmalana Railway Maintenance Yard, and Ms. Nilupa Ekanayake, Deputy Mechanical Engineer, briefed the Members of Parliament on the relevant sites, and demonstrated the practical operations of the respective areas.

Following the site inspection, the Hon. Members of Parliament pointed out that a large portion of the yard was occupied by removed machinery and equipment. They also highlighted that certain machinery was not stored in environmentally appropriate conditions, and that some equipment had been purchased in excessive quantities. The Members stated that all findings from this observational visit would be presented to the Committee on Public Accounts as well as to the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Transport.

A group of officials from Parliament also participated in this observational visit.

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CIABOC indicts Mervyn

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The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has filed an indictment in the High Court against former Minister Mervyn Silva. 

He is accused of acquiring assets that exceed his lawful income, in violation of anti-corruption regulations.
According to the CIABOC, the charges relate to the accumulation of wealth deemed disproportionate to his known sources of income during his tenure in public office.

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Police suspect of suicide Probe over 12-yr. old committing suicide

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The Ambalangoda Police has launched an investigation after a 12-year-old had reportedly commited suicide.

According to the Police, the Grade 7 student was found dead at his home this morning in Ambalangoda. 

Although investigations are still underway to determine the exact cause of the death, police say that the student may have died by suicide after becoming distressed when his mother left home following a dispute with his father.

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Arrested immigration officer, remanded (Update)

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An Assistant Controller of the Department of Immigration and Emigration, who was arrested for allegedly issuing three forged passports for underworld figure – Mandinu Padmasiri alias ‘Kehelbaddara Padme’, has been ordered to be held in remand custody until May 29.

He was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) today (May 27).


(Previous news 2025 May 27 – 12.24.p.m.)

Immigration officer arrested for issuing fake passports to wanted criminal

An Assistant Controller of the Department of Immigration and Emigration has been arrested on suspicion of facilitating the creation of a forged passport for a known organized crime figure, Kelehelbandara Padme, who is currently residing overseas.

According to the Police media spokesman – SSP Buddhika Manatunga.
According to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the suspect is believed to have issued the fraudulent passport without biometric fingerprint data, enabling Kelehelbandara Padme to travel abroad under false documentation.

Investigations have revealed that two other suspects had previously been arrested in connection with the same case.These individuals had allegedly obtained Kelehelbandara Padme’s photograph via WhatsApp, edited it, and submitted it to the Department of Immigration and Emigration to process the forged passport. Authorities confirmed that Kelehelbandara Padme had originally traveled abroad in 2021 using a passport issued in 2014, which expired last year.

However, recent findings had indicated that two additional fake passports were issued this year under different names, both containing Kelehelbandara Padme’s photograph.

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